ELABCHROM

✴️ Cultural heritage related

Dragobete marks the traditional Romanian celebration of love and the arrival of spring. 🌿❤️

Let's celebrate together! 🇷🇴✨

Dragobete marks the traditional Romanian celebration of love and the arrival of spring. 🌿❤️
Rooted in folklore, it is a day of joy, renewal, and connection — when nature awakens and hearts follow.

Today we celebrate love in all its forms.
Happy Dragobete! 🇷🇴✨

✴️ Cultural heritage related

Today, we honor Constantin Brâncuși (1876-1957), the Romanian-born artist who built his career in France and is widely regarded as a pioneering figure of modern abstract sculpture. 🎉✨

In Romania, 2026 has been officially designated “The Constantin Brâncuși Year” to mark 150 years since the artist’s birth.

Brâncuși’s legacy is inseparable from the monumental ensemble at Târgu Jiu - Masa Tăcerii (The Table of Silence), Poarta sărutului (The Gate of the Kiss), and Coloana Infinitului (The Endless Column).

Astăzi îl celebrăm pe marele Constantin Brâncuși, un adevărat simbol al culturii române.

Anul acesta, România marchează Anul „Constantin Brâncuși”, instituit prin legea promulgată la 24 iulie 2025, la 150 de ani de la nașterea artistului.

Coloana infinitului, Poarta sărutului sau Masa tăcerii reprezintă nu doar opere de artă, ci declarații despre sacrificiu, iubire, continuitate și infinit – valori care definesc identitatea noastră.

Opera lui Brâncuși vorbește despre curajul de a crea și de a gândi liber și de a transforma rădăcinile în aripi.

De aceea, astăzi celebrăm nu doar un mare artist, ci o parte importantă din sufletul României.

ELABCHROM concludes this New Year’s Eve, but its impact lives on. Thank you to all partners, researchers, and collaborators who brought knowledge, energy, and vision to the project. 🎉✨

After three years of collaboration, research, and growth, the ELABCHROM project ends. From establishing a Cultural Heritage Lab at Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu to publishing in leading journals and hosting three international conferences and other events, ELABCHROM has strengthened cultural heritage research and built lasting academic partnerships across Europe, especially in Romania, Finland, and France. 🌍📚

🎬 Let’s look back at what we achieved together: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSd0WxunEmc.

Thank you to all partners and contributors who made ELABCHROM possible. 🙏🌟

ELABCHROM summary video ELABCHROM project impact and resultsAs of December 31, 2025, the Horizon Europe Twinning project ELABCHROM – Establishing a Laboratory of Cultural Heritage i...

Another milestone moment was in November, when Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu hosted the 3rd Cultural Heritage Lab International Conference “Inter‑ and Transcultural Heritage: Conflicts, Overlaps, Coexistence”. Over 50 leading scholars and practitioners came together to explore how heritage intersects with identity, boundaries, and social transformation.

From academic discussions to global exchanges of ideas, the conference exemplified the best of international collaboration and interdisciplinary research. 🎬 Relive the moment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qI2OoAZcnoI

International Conference on Inter- and Transcultural Heritage 2025 ELABCHROM (Establishing a Laboratory of Cultural Heritage in Central Romania)Achieving excellence in research in RomaniaELABCHROM is an EU-funded Horizon pro...

🎬 As we approach the end of the year, we look back at one of the highlights of our project, the international conference “Tangible and Intangible Cultural Heritage: A Dichotomy under Debate”, a vibrant gathering of more than 70 experts from Romania and abroad exploring how we understand, preserve, and pass on our shared heritage. 🌍🏛️

From powerful keynote speeches to 14 dynamic panels, it captured the spirit of the ELABCHROM project, which soon concludes. Beyond the sessions and speeches, it was a shared experience of passion for culture, research and learning.

Let’s revisit those inspiring days and the incredible people who made them happen. Watch the video on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDiRnBokSzY

Thank you to everyone who was part of this journey! 🌟

International Conference "Tangible and Intangible Cultural Heritage: A Dichotomy under Debate" ELABCHROM (Establishing a Laboratory of Cultural Heritage in Central Romania)Achieving excellence in research in RomaniaELABCHROM is an EU-funded Horizon pro...

How interested are local communities in preserving their cultural heritage and what shapes this interest? 🔍🏛️ The article 𝑈𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑐 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑆𝑖𝑏𝑖𝑢’𝑠 𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑎𝑙 ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒, written by Alin Croitoru, Tuuli Lähdesmäki and Anamaria Tudorie, and published in the International Journal of Heritage Studies (2025), offers an important scholarly perspective on this question.

Over the past two decades, scholars and policymakers have increasingly emphasized the central role of citizens in heritage practices. Yet, 𝐢𝐧 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐚, 𝐧𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. This research fills that gap by analysing the attitudes of residents from Sibiu, a city internationally recognized for its cultural richness and its designation as European Capital of Culture in 2007.

Drawing on data from the 𝐄𝐋𝐀𝐁𝐂𝐇𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐲 (N = 932) and using multivariate statistical modelling, the study pursues two key objectives:
1️⃣ measuring the level of public interest in local heritage preservation;
2️⃣ identifying the demographic, cultural, and contextual factors that shape these attitudes.

The findings show that citizens’ views on heritage preservation are influenced by a combination of broader demographic trends observed across Europe and locally specific factors rooted in cultural consumption patterns and engagement with local cultural events. 💡

📖 Read this article to explore how community engagement, identity-building, and cultural participation intersect in shaping public support for heritage preservation, offering timely insights for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers alike. The article is available at https://doi.org/10.1080/13527258.2025.2564944

How do citizens perceive the removal of socialist monuments and the renaming of public spaces in post-communist Romania? 🏛️💡 The article “𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡’𝑠 𝑑𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑑𝑜𝑛𝑒”: 𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑑𝑒-𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑧𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑐 𝑠𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑅𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑎 by Mihai S. Rusu and Alin Croitoru enhances the growing collection of studies produced through our project.

Using a nation-wide sociological survey (N=1156) and statistical regression analysis, the study shows that people’s attitudes toward the memorial de-communization of public space vary depending on political values, local ties, and socio-demographic characteristics.

📖 Read this article to explore how ordinary citizens relate to controversial transformations of public space in post socialist societies, offering fresh insights into memory, identity, and urban landscapes.

Find out more about this at https://doi.org/10.1177/17506980251359594

Today we celebrate 834 years since Sibiu's first recorded mention in 1191. 🏰📜 A city that is not only lived in, but also studied, preserved, and continuously rediscovered through academic and cultural lenses.

Our colleague, Assist. Prof. Ph.D. Dana Stanciu-Păscărița (Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu) beautifully reflects: “𝐹𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑎 𝑚𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑒𝑣𝑎𝑙 𝑏𝑢𝑟𝑔 𝑔𝑢𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑤𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑎 𝑚𝑜𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑛 𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑏𝑎𝑟𝑜𝑞𝑢𝑒, 𝑐𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙, 𝑜𝑟 𝑒𝑐𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑐 𝑓𝑎𝑐̧𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑠, 𝑆𝑖𝑏𝑖𝑢 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑔𝑟𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑎 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑢𝑟𝑏𝑎𝑛 𝑠𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑒… 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦'𝑠 ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑒𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑑𝑖𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑑𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑒 𝑎𝑐𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑐 𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑣𝑖𝑒𝑤 𝑆𝑖𝑏𝑖𝑢 𝑎𝑠 𝑎 𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑢𝑟𝑏𝑎𝑛 𝑠𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑒, 𝑑𝑒𝑒𝑝𝑙𝑦 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑛𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝐸𝑢𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑒'𝑠 𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑙-ℎ𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑙𝑒𝑔𝑎𝑐𝑦”.

Through ELABCHROM, we aim to reinforce this connection by uncovering, researching, and promoting Sibiu’s tangible and intangible cultural heritage not just as a subject of history, but as a source of cultural dialogue and innovation. 🔍🏛️

📸 credits: Biblioteca Județeană Astra Sibiu and Alisa Anton on Unsplash

How are 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝗯𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 shaped by the rhetoric of “cancel culture” in post-socialist Romania? The article 𝑃𝑜𝑠𝑡-𝑆𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑡 ‘𝐶𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑙 𝐶𝑢𝑙𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒’? 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑃𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑀𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑦 𝑖𝑛 𝑃𝑜𝑠𝑡-𝑆𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑡 𝑅𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑎 by Mihai S. Rusu, published in Cultural History 14.1 (2025), stands as an important scholarly contribution within the wider framework of our project.

Based on 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗥𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀, the study investigates how global discussions sparked by movements such as Black Lives Matter echo in the local context. The findings show that, rather than a widespread “cancel culture”, Romania is characterized by a highly contested politics of memorializing the nationalist past, in which the concept of “cancel culture” is strategically invoked by conservative actors to defend specific identity narratives and to shield problematic historical figures from criticism.

📖 Read this article to deepen your understanding of how 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝘆, 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲 are negotiated in post-socialist societies, and to engage with a nuanced analysis of contemporary heritage debates 👉 https://doi.org/10.3366/cult.2025.0329